This Means War
by Ourliazo
Summary: Harry thinks it's all over; Voldemort is dead and everything is going to be fine. Fate promptly responds by backhanding him across the face, spitting on him, and then calling his mother fat. Harry decides that it's time to retaliate. (Where Harry missed a Horcrux and gets a visitor.)
1. Chapter 1

Title: This Means War

Summary: Harry thinks it's all over. Voldemort is dead and everything is going to be fine. Fate promptly responds by backhanding him across the face, spitting on him, and then calling his mother a whore. (Harry retaliates.)

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* * *

A twenty-one year old Harry Potter opens his door and slams it shut again almost instantly. He lets out a breath and snatches the holly wand from his bathrobe pocket. He clutches his wand tightly and wrenches open the barrier between him and most likely certain death.

"Hello," the young man says politely. "Do you mind if I come in for a bit?"

Harry hesitates, though he shouldn't have.

"Excellent," the familiar stranger says and slides past Harry, entering the house with a confident stride. "My, what a lovely home," he murmurs, just short of patronising as he takes a seat on the couch and lounges like a king on a throne.

Harry bites his lip and closes the door, following the young man in case he tries to curse something. "So…"

"So," the younger male echoes. "You missed one." He smirks.

"Yeah," Harry grits out, coming to a stop in front of the couch, his wand still pointed at the intruder. "Evidently. Where did you come from?"

The other shakes his head in disappointment. "No, no, Harry. That would be boring. You have to guess."

"And you have to die," Harry snaps back. "Why the hell would you come here, to me, when you know what I'm going to do?"

"Are you though?" the younger asks innocently. "Look at me, Harry. Really look."

Harry does, scanning the other male. They're the same height this time after Harry corrected the Dursley's love and care. The intruder is maybe late teens, dark hair and eyes, perfection written into his DNA. So innocent looking it hurts.

The other smiles. "Do you think you could kill someone who appears human?"

"That's the operative word," Harry mutters. "'Appears' human. I know what you are."

Then abruptly the intruder's face crumples, his facade disappearing to show just how scared he really is and his body language shifts, barely at all, but somehow conveys how distraught he feels. "Harry, please, I just need you to listen," he whispers desperately, too close to a sob.

Harry knows this is an act. It has to be – the intruder is proving a point that he can pretend to be human and that Harry can't hurt someone who looks so… lost.

But it sounds like losing Sirius, like hearing about Fred, like watching Dumbledore fall. No one can fake that, can they? No one can just copy that kind of heart wrenching emotion and sound so genuinely terrified.

"I don't know what's happening," the younger says in a small voice. "I just woke up and it hurts - it hurts _all the time_ like someone pulled out my lungs." He lifts shaking hands and clutches at his own shirt. "I can't breathe anything but poison," he whimpers, curling into himself.

Harry steps forward, his wand dropping so it's pointed at the floor. Maybe it's genuine. Maybe the other just can't keep his masks up now that he's lost control. Even someone like him needs a breaking point, a moment where he just can't handle everything pressing down on him.

"You're the only one who won't hurt me," the younger admits, and a humourless laugh leaves him. "Isn't that so pathetic?" He shakes his head and peers up at Harry with wet eyes. "I don't have anywhere else to go. Please just help me, please, I'm begging you."

Harry finds himself kneeling before the other, not even registering moving in the first place, and he's wrapping his arms around the younger male. His wand is entirely forgotten, dropped on the couch, and he's murmuring reassurances, just a litany of 'it's okay, I won't hurt you, it'll be fine' over and over again.

"You're a moron," is the muffled reply into Harry's collarbone.

Harry pulls back, startled at the clear voice without a hint of sadness or despair.

The other raises an eyebrow, holding Harry's wand in a deceptively lose grip, the end glowing green and pointed straight at Harry. "I wasn't actually aware that people could be as stupid as you."

Harry freezes, but he can still hear the half choked out words and see the shaking hands. "You don't have to put up a front-"

"I'm really not," the younger male deadpans.

"We can get through this together," Harry continues. "You don't have to hurt people and I won't let anyone hurt you. You can start over."

The other's expression twists slightly in confusion. "Wait, are you joking? Is this a joke?"

Harry makes a vague motion at the house around them. "You're safe here. That's why you came, isn't it?"

"Um, no." The other shakes his head slowly. "I came here because I needed a wand that would suit me."

Harry frowns. "Oh, well this is awkward." He still thinks that somewhere, buried deep, is genuine fear.

The other purses his lips, irritation plain on his face as if he could hear Harry's thoughts. "Alright, I'm just going to end this. Avada-"

Harry springs to his feet and sprint for the stairs, wandlessly summoning decorations to black the hail of curses that come after him. Harry skids around a corner and takes yet another flight of stairs which should not work for a two storey house. "You know," he calls back. "The definition of insanity is doing something over and over-"

"Accio," the other snaps, summoning Harry's underwear because the bathrobe would come off to easily and not trip up the Chosen One.

Nothing happens.

A scream of wordless rage tears through the house. "You're disgusting!"

"You showed up unexpectedly!" Harry screams back and takes a hard right into another hallway. He quickly wrenches open a door and slams it shut again before ducking into an already open one and hiding behind a closet.

Harry kind of forgets what's in the other room, though to be fair, someone is trying to kill him.

The intruder takes the corner, sees two doors, and obviously picks the closed one. He throws open the door and finds a pitch black room. He lights the stolen wand and blinks at the black fabric that covers everything.

He takes a step and the fabric underneath his shoe ripples and shifts, causing a cascade effect and making the other fabrics shudder. Soon the entire room is alive.

"What is…" he murmurs, then the realisation hits. "Oh Merlin."

The black fabric on the ceiling and walls melt down, seeping onto the heaving floor that sends the intruder stumbling forwards, deeper into the room. He gasps in shock and fires off a shield because he can't cast a Patronus, but the fabric clings and soon he's engulfed, a dome of faint yellow light keeping the things at bay.

They wriggle and squirm, pushing at the magic and eating it like starving animals. He casts more defensive wards and then digs into the fabric with sickly coloured Dark Arts spells which throw back the cloth and sear gaping holes into them.

There's so many of them and they heal so quickly, but the young man is a genius, able to wield magic that most don't even know of. He's winning.

But he doesn't notice the hole being chewed through the shields at his back, so the fabric that throws itself over his head is a very unwelcome surprise. He collapses under the strength of the cloth and it's immediately trying to squeeze him to death like a boa constrictor.

He groans when his ribs creak but the sound is muffled by the smothering fabric. He can feel more of the things pouring over him, adding weight and slowly snuffing him out.

"Tom!" a faint voice screams in panic. "Tom!"

And that just _pisses him off more_.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, or at least part of him, very calmly summons Fiendfyre.

* * *

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A/N: So which item did this Horcrux come from?

I bet you won't guess it~ XD


	2. Chapter 2

The dining room is quiet, its only two occupants sitting at either head and not looking at each other.

Harry is slumped back into the chair, half his hair missing but growing back slowly and everything else singed. His head is lolled back and his arms are hanging by his sides. Not only does he now have underwear on, he's also fully dressed, solely because the intruder insisted that it was 'common curtesy to dress appropriately when entertaining a guest'.

The teenage Dark Lord opposite is pristine and sitting with correct posture. He taps the holly wand against his thigh, his other hand palm down against the table.

The silence drags.

"Why is there a room full of Lethifolds in your house?" the younger asks suddenly, his tapping coming to a stop.

"Was," Harry corrects dully, not looking away from the ceiling. "There _was_ a room full of them. There was also a third floor, but apparently you take exception to that."

The younger male frowns. "I don't like surprises."

Harry slowly raises his head to stare at the Horcrux, his facial expression somewhere between incredulous and 'fuck off'.

The other glares. "I also don't like to be called that name."

"But it's legally your name," Harry huffs, letting his head fall again.

The intruder grits his teeth and leans forward. "It's not actually; I had it changed. So if you call me that again I'm addressing you as 'Dursley'."

Harry jack-knifed up into a sitting position.

"Oh, now it's not such a good idea, is it?" the teenager mocks, relaxing back. "You understand how annoying it is, _Dursley_?"

"Fine," Harry snaps. "What am I supposed to call you?"

The younger rolls his eyes. "Voldemort, you idiot. Call me Voldemort."

"Yeah, no," Harry drawls. "That's the easiest way to get you killed."

The Horcrux takes a moment to just stare. "Excuse me? You're not still on about that protecting me ridiculousness, are you?"

"Where else would you go?" Harry argues. "Your Death Eaters are in Azkaban or scattered."

The younger scoffs. "Yes, because that stopped me before." He shakes his head, amused. "Why are we even talking about this? I should be killing you." He pauses. "Unless there are more Lethifolds for me to run into…?"

Harry opens his mouth to explain but something goes terribly wrong and his body decides 'nah, mate, you can fuck right off with that shit' so Harry ends up in an entirely involuntary, horrifically violent coughing fit.

The kind that brings tears to his eyes and forces him to make that disturbingly ugly face; like he would vomit if he wasn't already coughing up his pancreas. It also has the criteria that despite the need to have air in his lungs to cough, the coughing won't let him breathe.

So he kind of spams there in his seat, dying in stupidest he way could possibly go out, and Voldemort's bloody Horcrux does nothing but stare.

The younger male gets bored of waiting and asks, "Should I come back later or are you going to finish soon?"

Harry flips him off while still coughing so hard his kidneys protest.

"If you die from this, I'm going to be so annoyed with you," the intruder says in amusement. "I mean, I'm going to laugh first, but then I'll be annoyed."

It takes another moment for Harry's body to stop trying to turn itself inside out, and Harry lets his head stay face down on the table, panting like he just outran a dragon on foot.

"You should get that looked at," the other male mutters.

Harry raises his head, wipes away the tears and smooths down his clothes. "So, where were we?" he wonders idly as if that coughing fit wasn't so completely fucking ridiculous that even Snape would have shit himself laughing if he saw it.

"Lethifolds," the younger deadpans.

"Right. No, there are no more," Harry reassures. "But I have some Dementors and you should never, ever go down to the third basement without me." He looks contemplative. "Yeah, other than that, I think you could take on the rest of the creatures I have."

The other just sighs. "Why?"

"My job," Harry says with a shrug. He runs a hand through his hair, glad that it now feels as long and thick as before the fire. "I'm a creature specialist."

"That should significantly boost your chances of death, and yet you still insist on living," the Horcrux grumbles. "Are you made of pure Felix Felicis? Have you been blessed by a God?"

"Is that just a saying or do you believe in Gods?" Harry asks, curious. "You don't seem the type."

The other sends a derisive look in Harry's direction. "I am a God."

Harry scowls. "Gods don't bleed."

The teenage Dark Lord smirks and raises an arm. He pulls down his sleeve and presses the wand's tip to the underside, cleanly slicing down the pale flesh and splitting it open.

Harry's eyes widen but he waits, a breath stuck in his throat.

Wisps of black shadow seep from the Horcrux's cut, moving in sudden jerks and twitches. Then comes tar, the black sludge bubbling to the surface and sliding down his forearm.

The younger male moves his arm closer to his lips, and without breaking eye contact, licks a long, languid stripe up the cut. It seals back to unblemished skin when his tongue passes over and then the black tar is disappearing with a swallow.

The Horcrux smiles and pulls his sleeve down. "If you're wondering; it tastes quite nice. Like the epitome of power."

Harry gulps thickly and wrenches his eyes away. "Okay, let's just… let's not do that again." He grabs desperately for something to change the topic. "What am I calling you? Is Marvolo okay?"

"Fine, if you insist," Marvolo says dismissively, raising the holly wand. "You can use the name to beg for mercy as I kill you."

* * *

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A/N: I've decided to not reveal what item the Horcrux came from unless someone guesses it correctly. XD Have fun.


	3. Chapter 3

"No," Harry says.

Marvolo pauses, his wand raised. "What do you mean 'no'? I wasn't asking for your permission or suggesting a fun bonding activity."

Harry laces his fingers together on the table and leans forward. "Look, I've tried this once already, so I think that this time I'm going to deal with you my way."

Marvolo lowers the wand, stunned into not murdering the older man. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not a violent person," Harry admits. "So maybe we could try reforming you into a mildly less homicidal man instead of just executing you."

Marvolo has to take a calming breath before he can speak. "Harry, you dear, sweet moron. I have the wand, which means your opinion counts for absolutely nothing - perhaps even less than nothing."

Harry opens his mouth to talk but gets cut off by Marvolo.

The younger male holds up a hand to indicate that Harry really should shut up. "I need you to just stay quiet right now because I'm trying to make another Horcrux and if you keep talking I'm just going to straight up kill you."

"Okay," Harry begins slowly, wording himself very carefully. "I appreciate your honesty, but-"

"No!" Marvolo snaps. "No, there is no 'but', there is no 'if', there is no possible ending in this where you stay alive!"

"There are always other options," Harry continues peaceably.

Marvolo lets out a snarl that dissolves into meaningless hisses, almost physically pained by Harry's stupidity. He stands violently enough that the chair tips backwards and stomps for the front door.

Harry quickly stands as well and tries to cut Marvolo off. "Wait, it's not safe for-"

Marvolo fires off a bright purple jinx and Harry's hair disappears again, yanked straight out of his scalp. The older yelps and backs away, rubbing his smooth head. Marvolo comes to a jerky halt at the entrance, yanks open the door, and continues off the property before disapparating with a deliberately loud 'crack'.

Harry blinks in shock, that last hiss still ringing in his mind. It didn't mean anything, just a wordless noise, so it brings the previous hissing into focus. Had Marvolo been speaking Parseltongue the entire time?

* * *

Marvolo takes another spoonful of the ice-cream and lets his gaze wander over the people in Diagon Alley. He spots an adulterer in the first minute and a pickpocket a couple moments later.

He then finds a suicidal idiot and sighs in annoyance. Admittedly, a glamoured suicidal idiot, but Marvolo can recognise that man anywhere.

Harry Potter drops into the seat opposite Marvolo's at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and just stares.

"What?" Marvolo snaps, irritated with the silence.

"How did you order if you can't speak English?" Harry blurts out.

"I pointed," Marvolo grits out. "How are you still alive when you're this annoying?"

"Sheer luck," Harry admits easily.

A spoon floats into Harry's periphery and he see Fortescue wink at him. Harry grins and nods in thanks, taking the spoon.

"Don't you dare-" begins Marvolo.

Harry scoops up a spoonful and pops it into his mouth. He hums and his eye crinkle up into half-moons from the delight.

Marvolo shakes his head. "I blame the Dursley's for this masochism."

Harry just hums louder and takes another bite.

Marvolo sits back and points out of the window without looking away from harry. "That man is cheating on his wife with the blonde standing over there."

Harry chokes a little on the ice cream and turns to look. "How can you tell?"

"I would know that lustful look anywhere," Marvolo says simply. "Why do you think I decided to change my form when I was remade?"

Harry's eyebrow draw together in confusion and he looks back at Marvolo.

The Horcrux glances out of the window instead. "After the first few times someone tried to force themselves on me, I started thinking that I was the problem."

Harry swallows thickly. "Marvolo-"

"I'm lying," the younger male deadpans, turning glare at harry.

Harry frowns. "It's okay-"

Marvolo drops the spoon into the ice cream bowl with a clatter and plants his hands on the table to lean forwards. "No, no. _I'm lying_. Let's not do that again, _please_."

Harry nods shakily.

"Oh Merlin," Marvolo sighs and leans back again. "This is my fault, I forgot about your issue with common sense. Okay, here's what we're going to do. Every time I lie, I am first going to preface the sentence with 'I'm lying'."

Marvolo holds out his hands. "For instance, I'm lying: I think I'm actually starting to like you."

"I like you to," Harry says, his eyes lighting up.

"No, you piece of-!" Marvolo sucks in a sharp breath and stands jerkily. "I'm not doing this anymore," he says calmly and walks out of the ice cream parlour.

Harry hurries up behind and grabs Marvolo's wrist, spinning the man around. The crowd chooses that moment to swell and they get bumped closer together until there's barely any room between them.

A man passing by mutters an apology for hitting Marvolo but the Horcrux dismisses the stranger automatically as too much of a plebeian to acknowledge.

"I'm sorry," Harry says earnestly. "I don't how to react because I don't know where the line is. What if you say something but I think you're lying?" He asks in worry. "Everyone thought I was a liar back at Privet Drive and it kept coming back at Hogwarts as well."

"Don't project onto me," Marvolo huffs in annoyance. "Those are your issues."

"I just don't want to make that mistake," Harry says, tightening his grip on Marvolo's wrist. "I'll try, I am trying, but I don't know how to react around a compulsive liar yet."

"Excuse me," Marvolo begins, jabbing a finger into Harry's chest. "I can stop anytime I want." He pauses and rewords his previous sentence. "I'm lying: I can stop anytime I want."

Harry's lips twitch up in amusement and Marvolo scowls, ripping his arm away from the ridiculous man.

Harry trots along behind Marvolo despite now having the holly wand, pickpocketed during the crowd surge and when Marvolo was distracted with the main grip on his forearm.

Marvolo stops so suddenly that Harry almost bumps into him.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asks, his hand slipping into his pocket to touch the wand there.

Marvolo spins around, one hand at his hip, wide eyed with the beginning of panic in his expression. "Someone took my dagger."

* * *

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A/N: I probably should have specified that in this challenge everyone gets one chance only and there should be no vague statements. Too late now, I guess.

Congratulations, **kharma (guest)** , you won with _Slytherin's "insert weapon here"._ You win an OC position.

 **Frog** gets a special mention because of how disturbing the guesses were. You need professional help.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you see someone bump into me and then move away faster?" Marvolo asks urgently.

Harry turns to look straight away, remembering one man, and locks onto a figure flipping up their cloak's hood and slipping into Knockturn Alley.

Marvolo understands immediately and he's gone before Harry can say anything. The older male is left jogging after Marvolo's fast stride and isn't even surprised that the crowd parts for the Horcrux instinctively.

Marvolo disappears into Knockturn Alley without a hint of hesitation but Harry pauses. The narrow alley just seems darker than Diagon and several shady figures loiter outside grimy shop windows that don't dare to advertise the products they sell.

Harry tenses when Marvolo passes a group of three very scarred males and they push off the wall, making moves like they're going to follow.

Harry is rushing into the alley soon after. He shoots a scowl at the maybe-werewolves and catches up to Marvolo just in time for them to hit an intersection.

"Go left," Marvolo snaps and heads right.

"Wait!" Harry cries. "What am I looking for?"

Marvolo whips around and step close, lowering his voice. "It's a dagger with a hilt and sheath of basilisk skin. The latter has an emerald 'S' on it."

Harry can't help but ask, "Is that where you came from?"

"Just go," Marvolo snaps and vanishes further into the alley, a glamor melting over him because he's most definitely going to kill someone today.

* * *

Harry tries a point me spell even though he knows it won't work. Knocturn has quite a few wards scattered around the place that stop any kind of tracking, always set up no matter how many times the Ministry tear them down.

He tucks away his wand again but keeps his hand in the same pocket, ready. He continues for a few more minutes but everyone has their hoods up and he highly doubts he'll find the dagger.

This is the point when he remembers Marvolo doesn't have a wand. Harry mutters a curse and spins around, backtracking at almost a run. He hits the original intersection and continues, picking random turns and just hoping he'll find Marvolo-

A large body flies out of a small side alley and hits a shop wall opposite before crumpling to the ground and staying still.

Harry vaguely recognises the face as one of the three men from before and quickly turns the corner with his wand out. Another man is lying face down on the ground and a third is pinned to the wall with magic, about a meter off the ground.

Marvolo is standing with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. When Harry walks in, the Horcrux shoot him a glare, very pointedly glancing at the holly wand.

"To be fair," Harry begins. "You don't need a wand. Now, how about we put the nice man down?"

"Yeah," the stranger says quickly. "Yeah, let's put the nice man down."

Marvolo raises an eyebrow, not impressed at all.

Harry turns to the man pinned instead. "Hi, Mr…?"

"Kharma," the man mutters.

"Mr Kharma," Harry continues. "I'm sure you have family and friends who love you, and – why am I using the emotional route?"

"Yes, maybe you should restart that," Marvolo offers.

Harry sighs. "Marvolo, you can't kill him because you have better things to be doing. Remember the dagger?"

Marvolo rolls his eyes and lets the man drop. But then he also breaks Kharma's legs and three ribs.

Harry frowns at Marvolo with a backing track of screams.

Marvolo shrugs and strolls past Harry. "I put him down, what more do you want?" He pauses and turns around to face Harry. "And, by the way, if you don't have my dagger then why are you here?"

"Thought you might need some help," Harry mutters and follows when Marvolo starts walking again. "Where were you kept, by the way?"

"Nowhere in particular," Marvolo murmurs; his eyes scanning the street and profiling potential suspects. "I was actually picked up by a few muggles and got dropped off in a museum."

"You didn't possess any of them?" Harry wonders.

"They died as soon as they touched my blade," Marvolo says. "It was actually quite annoying because after the first few times everyone used tools to move me."

Harry frowns. "So then the guy we're chasing could potentially touch-"

A piercing scream cuts through the air and Marvolo smiles, walking towards it with a bounce in his step.

"I'm trying to reform you," Harry sighs. "At least pretend you're getting better."

Marvolo is unrepentant as he takes a left and walks straight past the circle of horrified watchers that surround a shuddering figure on the ground. He curls his fingers and the knife dropped a few steps away is summoned to his hand.

Harry winces when Marvolo calmly tucks it away and then kicks the writhing thief, knocking the man onto his back. The crowd shrinks back at the horrifically melted skin that shows and Harry hears the faint noise of someone throwing up.

"Now," Marvolo hums in amusement. "What do you need to apologise for?"

The thief clearly can't respond considering his jaw is non-existent at this point in time.

So Marvolo answers for him. "Yes, that's right; don't touch my things." He smiles charmingly. "I think we've all learned something here today."

"Actually," Harry cuts in, stepping up beside Marvolo, thankful that both of them are glamoured. "No one can understand you."

The Horcrux scoffs. "There is a half dissolved maybe-corpse at my feet. I think everyone knows exactly what's happening."

Harry looks down and sees that the man isn't moving. He's just going to stick with 'maybe-corpse' because it's better than 'corpse'.

Marvolo whips around and his cloak billows out behind him as he walks from the crime scene without a care in the world.

* * *

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A/N: **New challenge** : What's the tar inside Marvolo?

One guess only per person, no vagueness! (This is actually a pretty easy one.)


	5. Chapter 5

"I need more ice cream," Marvolo says as the two reach Diagon Alley. The Horcrux's glamour falls and he starts for the ice cream parlour again. "I stopped halfway because you showed up."

"How about I get you some real food?" Harry bargains, stepping in front of Marvolo so the younger has to stop. "And a place to stay."

"I have a place," Marvolo argues. "It's a very nice place."

"You just killed some muggles and stole their house, didn't you?"

"It's still very nice," Marvolo points out. "It's not like the body is just artfully draped over the furniture to add a nice rotting tone to the modern finish."

Harry scowls. "You're coming home with me because I clearly can't leave you on your own."

Marvolo steps close enough that the dagger is hidden from view when he presses the end lightly into Harry's stomach. "And how, exactly, are you going to force me?" he dares.

"…I make really good spaghetti," Harry tries.

Marvolo deliberates for a moment but then shrugs and the weapon disappears. They vanish with a pop.

* * *

Marvolo slips a forkful into his mouth and chews slowly. He swallows and licks his lips. "It's adequate."

Harry rolls his eyes and starts collecting the spaghetti onto his own fork. They eat quietly for a few companionable moments.

"Why aren't you concerened with the fact that I just killed someone?" Marvolo asks.

Harry makes a face and lowers his fork. "I am concerned," he begins slowly. "But it's like when a creature hurts someone. It doesn't know any better-"

"I knew exactly what I was doing and I very much enjoyed it," Marvolo interrupts, because Harry really should come out of his little bubble of delusion.

" _It doesn't know any better_ ," Harry repeats, louder this time. "And all I can do is help it to learn the non-violent decision, so the next time it encounters a human, it won't react with the intent to harm."

"And how was that working with your Lethifolds?" Marvolo drawls.

Harry pauses. "Some creatures have the instincts inbuilt because they need to eat to survive."

Marvolo leans forward. "If you go vegan, I'll stop killing, since in your argument it means the same thing."

"Sure-"

"But every time you fail, I'll murder a family," Marvolo finishes with.

Harry glares. "Eat your damn food, Marvolo."

The Horcrux smirks and takes another bite out of the spaghetti.

* * *

After dinner, as Harry is washing up the dishes in a pointlessly muggle way, Marvolo wanders around the house, peeking into doors that lead to completely different environments.

Most dry and hot, other freezing with blizzard winds and a couple humid with thick trees. Some are only as big as the house's dimension would let them be, but a far greater number span for what seems like an entire continent.

Marvolo finds himself in the basement, not interested in the more common or banal creatures that don't even maim. He opens a door and pauses, a wicked smirk casting his expression into darkness.

* * *

Harry glances up after he finally dries his hands and looks around. He sighs when he can't see Marvolo anywhere and grabs his holly wand. Thankfully, Marvolo hasn't tried to take it back, but it's only a matter of time.

Harry can tell, straight away, that the creatures in the basement will draw Marvolo, far more than the relatively safe ones on the ground floor and upstairs. The third floor was an exception, only because Harry just found the nest of Lethifolds and was in the process of making a room for them when Marvolo first wandered in.

Harry takes the steps down cautiously, his wand out but resting by his side. His eyes narrow in on a dagger sitting just outside a room and immediately opens that door. Harry pauses, unwilling to step past the barrier that keeps the chill and bad thoughts inside the room. "Marvolo, what are you doing to my Dementors?"

Marvolo, currently sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, glances over at Harry. The Dementors sprawled at his feet and over his lap shift slightly, their cloaks sending out wisps that brush the Horcrux.

"I'm making friends," Marvolo says simply. He looks back to the creatures and smiles. "Such sweet things."

The Dementors lean into him and Marvolo coos, petting their hoods.

"Is that what your other self did?" Harry blurts out. "Is this how you got Dementors on your side?"

"I'm just being nice," Marvolo hums. "Everyone likes a nice guy."

"Right, well, you can _nicely_ go upstairs," Harry says, gesturing vaguely upwards. "I have to show you your room."

Marvolo comes close to a pout as he shoos the Dementors away and stands. The creatures scatter and then swarm closer again to the odd human who has no soul.

Harry takes large steps back and watches Marvolo pass through the bubble of magic, the Dementors following right up until they're pressing themselves against the barrier, scratching at it with bony fingers.

Harry very quickly shuts the doors when Marvolo is out of the way. The Horcux huffs out a laugh at Harry's nervousness and ducks down to pick up his dagger, sequestering it away with a sleight of hand.

Harry debates if what he saw is technically a bad thing, because Marvolo really should not have the allegiance of a soul sucking creature, but then just gives up and follows Marvolo upstairs. He'll deal with it in the morning.

They swap who's leading when they hit the ground floor and Harry takes the younger towards the back of the house.

"This is your room," Harry says, coming to a stop at the end of a hallway and gesturing to a door. "Mine is directly across, so if you need anything just yell."

Marvolo rolls his eyes and swiftly pulls the door open and shuts it behind himself. Harry rolls his eyes as well, a lot more exasperated, and turns to enter his room.

"Um, Harry?" Marvolo calls, his voice partly muffled from the door.


	6. Chapter 6

"Can Lethifolds be green?" Marvolo calls through the door.

"Sometimes," Harry admits. "It's rarer though. I used to have a green one before you got to them."

The door is wrenched open and Marvolo jabs a finger behind him at the dark green cloth spread out across the foot of the bed, pretending to be innocently decorative.

Harry lights up. "Oh, wow, the little guy survived."

Marvolo scowls and stomps past Harry, who immediately slams the bedroom door shut when the Lethifold tries to say hello by throwing itself forward.

"I'm sleeping in your room," Marvolo says, already wandering around Harry's bed, his voice floating back into the hallway.

Harry quickly throws up some wards around the Lethifold's new enclosure and hurries into his bedroom. "Okay, let me get my stuff."

"You're sleeping with me," Marvolo orders. "I don't do light spells and only a Patronus can make it stay away… without obliterating it."

"I put up wards," Harry protests, but stops trying to collect his pillow. "It's not getting out."

"Yes, because I trust you," the Horcrux drawls sarcastically, stalking around the room and frowning at the pictures of friends and family up on the walls like he's so above the concept. He lifts one red and gold picture frame and narrows his eyes at a scared looking Weasley family who lean away from his fingers.

"Clearly," Harry begins, tossing the pillow down. "Otherwise you wouldn't want me in the same room you sleep in." He rushes over and rescues the picture, placing it back onto the wall hook.

Marvolo sighs and wanders off again. "I trust you to save yourself, and thus by extension; me. It will be automatic if you wake up and find a creature hovering over you, but if you're on the couch and I call, you can very easily ignore me."

"I wouldn't- "

"Do we honestly need to have a trust talk?" Marvolo says over Harry's protests, flicking a Golden Snitch off a bookcase without any shame. "Because it's always going to be the same answer."

"It'll take time. Rome wasn't built in a day," Harry says with patience he doesn't feel, picking the Snitch off the ground and setting it back onto the shelf.

"It was."

Harry blinks. "Oh. Never mind then."

Marvolo rolls his eyes as he blatantly walks up to the closet and steals some of Harry's clothes to sleep in. He turns to find Harry climbing into the bed and frowns.

"Um, no," the Horcrux says. "Your place is the floor."

Harry purses his lips but he really should have expected that.

* * *

Marvolo wakes to heavy body flopped over him and soft snores muffled into his shoulder.

"What the actual Merlin damned Hell?!" Marvolo blurts out, throwing Harry off him and onto the floor.

Harry startles awake when he lands and rolls to his feet quickly, looking around and locking onto a pissed of Marvolo who's sitting up on the bed.

"How is that even possible?" Marvolo snaps, incredulous. "Even if you somehow didn't wake me up from getting on the bed, I would have heard your snoring!"

"Cheated with magic," Harry admits. "It's cold on the ground, but I couldn't leave because I thought you would be scared if you woke up alone."

" _Then use a bloody heating charm you incompetent, pathetic excuse for a wizard_!" Marvolo snarls. "And I would not have been scared, _fuck you very much_!"

Harry shrugs and then climbs into his makeshift blanket nest on the floor, sleepy now that the panic is gone.

"Ridiculous," Marvolo hisses and climbs out of the bed, making sure to kick Harry in the ribs when he passes.

Harry grunts and mumbles something about 'rude soul shards' then starts snoring again before Marvolo even leaves the room.

* * *

Harry wanders into the kitchen, a few neon feathers sticking out of his hair from feeding the rather excitable creatures upstairs. "Do you know if I watered the Kappas?" Harry asks.

"Hold on," Marvolo mutters, eyes still focused on the newspaper. "Let me just check my 'Harry Potter's Every Movement' diary." The Horcrux is now dressed in Harry's clothes, the high-end ones that Harry was only keeping for formal occasions.

Harry hums. "I think I'll do it again, just in case." He searches under the sink and produces a watering can that he then tucks under the tap and starts filling. "By the way, why call your first Horcrux a diary instead of a journal?"

"Is there a distinction?"

Harry shrugs. "Journal is manlier."

Marvolo pauses and lowers the newspaper to stare directly at Harry. "At that age, I found a centuries old Basilisk, murdered a girl, and quite literally tore my soul in half. The thought of caring whatsoever about 'manliness' in my notebook is so far below me that I'm actually confused as to why I'm even responding to you right now."

Harry shrugs and turns off the water. "I mean I would have called it a journal."

"…Go water your Kappas before I drown you in your own blood," Marvolo orders.

Harry cheerfully lifts the watering can and heads down to the second basement. By the time he comes back up, Marvolo is gone and Harry decides to have a cup of tea while nothing bad is happening.

"Harry!"

The wizard sets down his tea when he hears Marvolo call for him and quickly darts out of the kitchen to hunt for the younger male. He finds the Horcrux pretty easily in the living room, the man standing on a chair that's planted firmly over a squirming piece of dark green cloth.

"I thought you said you had it secured," Marvolo says in irritation, tilting back and forth to steady himself as the chair wobbles from the Lethifold thrashing around.

Harry frowns. "Look, not a lot of study has been done about these guys. I didn't even know if Fiendfyre would kill them until you... demonstrated."

"Then give me the wand I'll deal with it," Marvolo hisses.

Harry opens his mouth to say a firm 'no, I don't want you to burn down my house' but the Lethifold then decides to heave upwards and throws both Marvolo and the chair off it. The chair topples over onto its side but Marvolo leaps off and lands on the back of the couch like a particularly murderous cat.

Harry whips up the wand. "Expec-"

The Lethifold charges and Harry hits the ground, the cloth flying over him. When he looks up again, Marvolo is jumping off the couch and landing beside the coffee table. He lifts the large book that sits there and hurls it across the room.

The Lethifold get _Hogwarts: A History_ to the face -kind of- and sails back under the force, hitting the ground with a loud thump. Marvolo snarls and out comes the dagger, bleeding black in rage, and the Horcrux advances on the Lethifold.

"Whoa, whoa!" Harry cries, springing up and darting in front of the angry Dark Lord, his arms out.

The Lethifold cringes back and flips the book off itself before squirming under a three-seater couch.

"It's fine," Harry says in panic. "You scared it, it's done, please put the knife away."

Instead, Marvolo tackles Harry to the floor and tries to gouge out the older wizard's eyes with a very sharp and very poisonous blade.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry lets his head fall back against the wall, currently sitting slouched on the floor with his legs stretched out in front and his wand in one hand. His other hand is occupied with a dagger, somehow wrenched away from Marvolo during the chaotic battle.

Said Horcrux is across the room, also sitting on the floor, but tied to the heavy bookshelf against the wall. His wrists are pulled awkwardly to his right shoulder where a cross beam of the shelf sits, the Auror grade handcuffs glowing a bright blue.

Harry should not technically have the handcuffs, but nor should he have a Dark Lord.

The Lethifold had long ago escaped somewhere, since the destruction encompasses the entire living room and half the kitchen. A few spots of black liquid are currently dissolving the floor, and Harry is trying to avoid very angry eyes that are digging into him.

Harry is pleasantly surprised he's not dead, but that's probably because Marvolo was much more interested in physically stabbing Harry than using magic. That's not to say the Horcrux completely ignored his power, however he only used it to defect Harry's attacks.

"I didn't know you were that good at wandless," Harry admits, hoping that if he talks calmly, Marvolo will relax. "I mean, why do you even need a wand if you're that experienced-?"

"I told you, you wouldn't come," Marvolo snaps.

Harry blinks. "What?"

"I called for you," Marvolo snarls, leaning forward as much as the handcuffs would allow. "I can't make Fiendfyre without a wand, so I need you if there's a Lethifold."

Harry sits up now, incredulous. "What are you talking about? I came – I dropped everything and I fucking ran here."

"But then you stopped and stared like some gormless idiot," Marvolo scoffs.

"Because you had everything under control!" Harry cries, a shocked, humourless laugh leaving him. "You had it pinned and you certainly had enough time to insult me."

Marvolo hisses, a Parseltongue word that doesn't even translate to English, but the insult is clear. "You know! You know, you brain dead, Light-sided, pathetic excuse for a saviour!"

"What do I know?" Harry explodes, lurching to his feet and gripping the dagger and wand tighter. " _What do I fucking know_?!"

A heavy silence falls, Marvolo's eyes locked onto the knife with a desperate intensity. He takes a shaky inhale. "You know how much I fear death, and yet you do nothing when a dangerous creature is trying to attack me. You preach trust and I was _trying-"_ He stops suddenly and slumps back against the wall.

"Oh," Harry says, the anger draining away and leaving a cold feeling inside his chest. "I – I didn't mean..."

"Fuck off," Marvolo snarls. He turns away to glare at the wall.

"Shit," Harry breaths out and immediately crosses the room, crouching down beside the other. "Marvolo, I honestly would never let you get hurt, plea-"

Marvolo kicks out as soon as Harry gets close and the older man is thrown back from the strike to his face. He lands hard and the dagger clatters from his hand but he keeps a hold of the holly wood. He scrambles up into a sitting position, his wand ready and his other hand clutching at his broken and already bloodied nose.

Marvolo just raises an eyebrow at him, all of that anger and panic washed away.

Harry glances down at the dagger, the only thing keeping the Horcrux alive, within reach of Marvolo but completely ignored instead of being clutched close like what a normal person would do when they're actually scared of-

Harry sighs and lets himself fall back to the floor, a swish of his wand fixing his nose.

"To be fair," Marvolo begins lightly, mockingly. "I did not say 'I'm lying' at the start, so I understand how you would be confused-"

"It's not even the afternoon, Marvolo," Harry groans wearily. "It's too early for this."

"Well don't tie me to things then," Marvolo says in a condescending voice. "Now up you get, there's a good boy."

Harry does stand but he then calmly walks away from Marvolo to hunt down the Lethifold.

"Where are you going?" Marvolo calls out in confusion. "I'm still tied to the- Harry, it might come back," he tries.

Harry throws a middle-finger salute over his shoulder.

Marvolo clicks his tongue, irritated. Maybe he should save the acting for special occasions when he really needs it. It's unfortunate that Marvolo has to play pathetic to get a reaction, but Potter's comically shocked expressions more than make up for the annoyance.

Marvolo still remembers when Abraxas would make the exact same face and then storm off in a huff.

The Horcrux smiles, barely visible but genuine.

* * *

Harry eventually does come back to the living room, both to uncuff Marvolo and fix all of the damage. He comes to a stop at the threshold, confused. "Does this happen with all dark creatures, then? Do they sense your evil?"

Marvolo frowns down at the Lethifold draped lightly over his leg, seemingly hugging him, and shrugs. "It could just be digesting me really slowly."

"They can engulf a grown Hippogriff in under zero point zero three seconds," Harry deadpans. "I don't think Lethifolds do 'slow'."

Marvolo looks up, his eyebrows drawn together. "But when I first walked into their room…"

"They might have actually been hugging you," Harry offers. "Or playing with their food."

Marvolo scowls. "Untie me. Now."

* * *

.

A/N: I'm having too much fun with Harry's good heart, but I'll stop with the acting now, promise.

Also, no one has guessed what the tar-blood is. Pick up your game, guys and gals.


End file.
